


Found A Way Through

by Runningfortocome



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: But nothing really serious, Grief, M/M, Mention of - Freeform, No One But You (Only The Good Die Young), Substance Abuse, deal with grief, music video, not really angst, post freddie's death, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-29 00:27:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21401149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Runningfortocome/pseuds/Runningfortocome
Summary: John has never enjoyed filming music videos for queen, this may be the hardest one yet.day one of Breaky Week: Music Video
Relationships: John Deacon/Brian May
Comments: 6
Kudos: 48
Collections: Breaky Week





	Found A Way Through

**Author's Note:**

> I'm aware this is possibly the saddest way I could have gone with this prompt, but it was what spoke to me. I got John's answer from the 50 questions for John Deacon interview. I highly recommend reading it. Pretty funny. You can find it on deaky.net  
Anyways, enjoy this work, if you want to check out the prompts for the rest of the days come on over to runningfortocome.tumblr.com/tagged/breaky-week and you can see all the other things people have done for this week.  
thanks for reading

Brian wakes up early for him, leaving a sleepy John in bed. John had come to bed late last night, after spending the whole day dealing with lots of paperwork. Brian brushes a kiss on the sleeping man’s greying temples. Thinking how lucky he is to be here with John. 

Freddie’s death five years ago had hit all of them hard. Brian had retreated deep into a depression that took ages for him to emerge from. But there was some good that came from the darkness. 

Brian and John had been involved since the beginning, a tenuous on off relationship that neither of them had been able to fully commit to, with their wives and such.

Brian’s marriage had already fallen apart by that point, Chrissy tired of his absence, probably aware that his heart had never truly been in the marriage. But it was freddie’s death that was the catalyst for John to leave. He split from Veronica, fairly amicably, and he had been together with Brian ever since. 

They had helped each other through their grief, reflects Brian. Thinking about how hard it was for him to get back in the studio to finish up the tracks for Made in Heaven. But they’d done it. Helping to hold each other together as they listened to Freddie’s voice on the recordings. 

Brian makes his way downstairs to their kitchen and starts the coffee maker, thinking he’ll take a cup up to John. John has left out a half empty wine glass on the countertop, alongside several sheets of paper. Brian reflects on how glad he is that it’s just a glass. There was a period of time, in the late 80s, where John couldn’t get through anything without being intoxicated. It took himself and Roger and Freddie’s combined efforts to drag John off to rehab, and since then Brian always worries that John might fall back into his old habits.

But this was just a glass, and Brian can begrudge John a glass of wine occasionally, especially when he sees what John was working on. Fifty Questions for John Deacon from the Queen Fan Club. 

Brian reads through the questions and John’s short, snarky answers. John was clearly in a mood while filling this out. He gets to a question about the music videos.

Which queen video did you most enjoy filming?

None of them.

This surprises Brian a little bit, he knows the music videos weren’t always fun to film, but he figured John had to have enjoyed some of them. Brian runs his mind back, thinking about all of them. Hadn’t they enjoyed the I Want to Break Free music video? All dressed up in drag. John had seemed to take great pleasure in teasing Brian, knowing that the older man couldn’t really afford to get wound up in his thin nightgown. 

Or what about after filming We Will Rock You and Spread Your Wings? They had warmed each other up between takes, snuggling and making out in one of the cars. 

“What are you ruminating on?” a voice startles Brian, John has come down to the kitchen, wrapped in a dressing gown. Brian opens his arms and John moves into them, hugging Brian. 

“Just your answers to these questions.” answers Brian.

“Oh yeah, I have one for you to fill out as well, with different questions. I found them in the paperwork.” says John, burying his face in Brian’s chest and breathing in his warm scent. 

“Did you really not enjoy filming any of our videos?” asks Brian, John pulls back and looks up at him.

“Not really, you know I don’t like being in front of the camera.”

“I know, I appreciate that you did them all anyways.”

“It was always hard to say no to Freddie.” says John, and Freddie’s name hangs there for a moment, in the air as though it were a solid thing. Memories of Freddie and his enthusiasm for various music videos and concepts flood the both of them. Neither speak for a time, Brian hugging John closer to him. 

“I know you didn’t like them, but how about one more music video?” Brian finally asks, “I promise, nothing special, no costumes or dancing or tricks or anything else, just you and me and Rog.” John blinks up at him in confusion, so Brian explains more.

“For No One But You, I thought we could do a video. Just the three of us playing.”

“Okay.” John only thinks for a moment before agreeing. Brian is suprised, he’d expected more resistance. 

“Really? You don’t have to.”

“No, I want to, for Freddie.”

\--

They stand around the studio, despite being full of equipment and instruments it feels empty somehow, Freddie’s absence is like a hole and they can all feel it. Rath than try to fill it, they accept it. 

This video will be simple. Just the three of them playing. Brian watches Roger come in and sit behind his drum kit. Roger ended up being the one who was reluctant to do this. Brian glances over at JOhn, who is sitting on his stool, tuning his bass. 

“Okay, we’ll do a take with Brian playing the piano first. And then we’ll do the guitar parts, and then finally the singing parts. Are all of you ready?” calls out the director. 

Brian nods, he sees Roger nod as well and John must have agreed because the director calls, “action!” 

His hands move over the keys, playing the melody line that's been haunting him for months. Brian can ignore the cameras. Can ignore the lights. He just pretends it’s him and John and Roger. The only people who matter at this moment in time. 

When the lights go out for the final time and the director yells cut, Brian feels a sense of relief. Of closure. When the lights come back on, he looks to John and Roger. Roger stands up.

“Just get over here you lanky git.” he says, and Brian moves over swiftly to embrace him. 

“Come on Deaks,” Roger motions to John and now all three of them are embracing in the center of the room. 

“Thanks for doing this, guys.” Brian says, and they step back from their embrace. John holding on to Brian. 

“Of course Bri, I’m going to take off now. You two should stop by soon, see the kids. They’ve grown like weeds.” Roger offers, and shrugging on his coat, he leaves. Brian holds John there in his arms, ignoring the sounds of the camera crew packing up. They stand there for what might be ages, just hold each other together. 

“Brian? This is the last one.” John finally says, when there has been silence around them for quite a time.

“I know. I know my love.”

“This is the last music video, okay? And last song. I don’t know if I can do it anymore.” John looks like he’s about to cry, worried about upsetting Brian.

“It’s okay my love. We’re okay.” 


End file.
